Self-starting device for gas-engines.



W. A. HANSEN.

SELF STARTING DEVICE FOR GAS ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16, 1907.

: 929,588. Patented July 27,1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

. ATTORNEY I W. A.'HANSEN. 'sELP STARTING DEVICE FOR GAS ENGINES.

APPLIUATIO H FILED NOV. 16 1907. 929,588.

Patented Jul 27, 1909.

2 SHEETSQSEEBT 2.

E55 ES WILLIAM A. HANSEN, Oi SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

SELF-STARTING EDEVICE FOR GAS-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented July 27, 190a a u auon filed November 16, 1907, Serial No. 402,377.

To all whom it may comm.-

-' Be it'known that I, l VILLIAM A. HANSEN,

Britizen of the UnitedStates, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and. State nfii'alifornia, have invented new and useful 7 vements in Self-Starting Devices for flsEngmes, of which the following is a specification. 1

1 especially a plica'ble for the starting of internal com ust pn engines without a preary cranking or'other starting mechan- 1. m;

" Iticonsists'in the combination of. parts,

and in details of construction which will be merc fully explained by reference to the accimlpanying drawings, in which igur ,lfii a longitudinal section through the 'vnalve abox. Fig. 2 is a cross section of same. 3 shows a modification of construction.-

-4 shows the double cock.. 5-:is a diagrammatic viewsl'iowing the d erent parts assembled.

For the pu ose of the preliminary starting of interna combustion engines using an explosive mixture, it is necessaryto charge one or more ofthe'cylinders with the explosive. This is usually effected by means of a hand-crank which may be temporarily cong zrpose of turning the latter over an l-in-' My mvention relates to devices which are nected with the main crank shaft forthe' ducing one or more charges of explosive ,rnixture' mto the engine cylinders.

"j 'My Invention 18 designed to provide a means for substantially scavenging a cylinder o1. cylinders of the burned gases which ma remain therein when the engine stops, an introducing into the cylinders a charge charges of air or explosive mixture in readiness to be i ited when the switch is turned on, or an e astic fluid under pressure.

In carrying out my invention I employ 'a' tank orreceiver A, into which a charge of air maybe pumped, either by direct connection with some moving part of the engine, or by handp'r other means, said receiver being thus constintly charged to a light pressure. This. receiver 18 connected by a pipe to an inlet nssage 2which opens. into a chamber 3,

within which is seated a valve 4, this valve being normally closed by'a light spring 5'.

In line with'tbisvalve is a needle valve 6. with a hand-wheel or other controlling de-,

vice 7, by which said valve may be opened to the proper degree, and-when once set 1t will 1'43 main in that condition.

8 is an opening or passage connecting with a source or gasolene, or other hydrocarbon liquid supply; this passage opening into the chamber behind the seat of the needlevalve 6 so that when-the connection at 15 has been opened, and air from the tank A is allowed to enter, the pressure of this air will be sufficient to open the valve 4, and the suction caused by the rush ofair past this valve will-draw in a sufficient amount of gasolene to form with the air, the proper explosive mixture which isdelivered into a chamher 9 having spring-pressed valves 1Q controlling its outlet. A passage 11 from the chamber'9 is normally closed by the valve 10, and when the valve 10 is opened, the compressed explosive mixture within the chamber 9 is allowed to pass through the proper passage or passages to the'cylinders of the engine.

Each cylinder is provided with a double cock having an inletpassage 13, and an outlet passage 14, both opened and closed in unison by the cook 15. i

The inlet passage 13 conducts the gas which is received from the'chamber 9 and passage 11 .directly into the cylinder, in the form of a jet which-will act to scavenge the cylinder, and clean out any burned or usel ss gas which may remain therein; this gas being forced out through the passage 14 which,

asbefore stated, is opened simultaneously with the passage 13.

The valves 10, as shown in Fig. 1, are opened'by cams 16, of which there may be one for each of these valves. These cams are mounted upon a shaft 17, which shaft 18 so connected as to revolve in unison with the shaft of the cams which 'actuate'the main valves of the engine, so that in whatever position the engine may have stopped, some of the valves 10 will be in position to admit a charge into the cylinders as previously described. This cam shaft 1.7 is here shown as mounted upon a frame 18 which is guided and slidabl'e'upon that portion of the device 19 which contains the valves 10; the stems 10 of 'these valves projecting upward valve stems 10 and, the starting mechanism will then become inert after the engine has been started. I

The connection between the shaft 17 and the main. cam shaftmay be made by the usual well known flexible shafts not here shown, or by any suitable equivalent mechanism, and the frame 18 may be moved to bring the cams into proper relation by a footor hand-lever acting through a connecting rod 20. The cocks 15 are opened and closed in unison with the movements above described, by means of an operating rod'21 or other appropriate means.

, In some'cases it may be found convenient or desirable to dispense with the valves 10 and their'actuating mechanism, in which case thepassages 11 extending to each of the cylinders as previously described, will all receive a charge of impelling mixture supplied through the passages 2 and'8, and the valve 4, and a ortion at least of the mixture will thus be de 'veredto a cylinder or cylinders which are in position to have their charge ignited, and to thus start the engine,

in which case it will only be necessary to open p l Patent is described, the combination with" an internal the valve or cook from the compressed aircylinder A without the use of the mechanism heretofore described.

By this apparatus I am enabled to not only supply asperfect explosive mixture to the cylinders of the engine, but to also scavenge or clear the cylinders of any burned gases remaining therein which might interfere with the proper starting.

It will be understood that when some of the enginepistons will stand in a position to be started by simple pressure, compressed air alone will be su'l'licient to start the engine.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters -1. In astarting device of the; character combustion engine, of a compression tank, a chamber into which air is admitted, a normally closed spring actuated valve connecting with said chamber, a hydrocarbon supply, and aneedle-valvecontrollin the admission of hydrocarbon, said'valves arranged substantially in line, said hydrocarbon mixing with the air in said'chamber and said yalve controlling the admission of hydro-- carbon, said-air operating to unseat the firstnamed valve to thereby admit the hydrocarbon to mix therewith and form an explosive mixture, connections between the mixing chamber and the en e cylinder said connections including spring-pressed valves and means for openin the same, and combined admission and. 'scharge cocks whereby the engine cylinders may be simultaneouslyscavenged and-supplied with an explosive mixture.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, a mixing chamber, valves admitting air under pressure and proportional mixing values of gasol'ene, valve-controlled passages leading from the mixing chamber to each of the engine cylinders, cams set in unison with the main valve actuatingcams,

a carriage upon which the shaft of said supplemental cams is mounted, said carriage being movable to bring the cams into position to open the valves'fr om the, mixing chamber or to allow them to remain closed, and atcock with co-acting inlet and discharge passages, and means actuating said cock in unison with the su )plemental'cams.

In testimony whereof I- ave hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM A. HANSEN; Witnesses:

Geo. H. STRONG, C. A. PENFIELD. 

